Vapor electric apparatus.



M. VON REGKLINGHAUSEN. VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1903.

984,707. Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

with s rarn entrance @FFEQE.

MAX VON BECKLINGHAUSEN, OF NEW YORK, N. -Y., ASSIGNOB T0 COOPER. HEWlET'l ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb, 21, rear.

Application filed November 10, 1903. Serial No. 180,509.

the following is a specification.

It is found that gas or vapor electric apparatus such as typified, for example, by the well-known mercury vapor, lamp, is sometimes subject to the diificulty that it will not readily start, even under the application of high potential, after it has been in use for several hundred hours. This applies particularly to. vapor lamps 'in which the positive electrode is of iron. The diiiiculty can usually be overcome by shaking the lamp, and in practice,.under those skilled in the operationof lamps of this class, it is customary to put the lamp in condition for starting by giving it a slight shock just be fore turning on the current or during the operation of applying the current.

' of this invention; and

Under some circumstances, as when the lamp is located near the ceiling or' in some other more or less inacce ssible place, there will be a difficulty in reaching the lamp for giving it the shock as described, and the present invention is designed to provide means whereby the required shock may be given without unnecessary trouble. To this end I may provide in connection with a mercury vapor lamp means for moving either the entire holder or a part of it or that part of it which supports the lamp proper, and

such means may consist either of automatic devices such as an electro-magnet or of a cord or chain or their equivalent, whereby the shaking of the lamp is accomplished as a preliminary to the application of the high potential current.

panying drawing in which- Figure l i's' a side elevation of a mercury lamp and its support together with a chain attachment for accom lishing the purpose of a similar apparatus adapted to beeperated by an-electro-magnet.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the body of'a mercury vapor lamp consisting of a tube of glass or other transparent material. Within one end of the container lis an iron positive electrode, 2, and at or near the ig. 2 IS an end Viewother end ofthe container isa negative elec; trode, 3, of mercury. The lamp as suggested is of the well-known type and contains no features of novelty.

The holder proper for the lamp consists of a metallic tube, 4, one end of which is attached to a. disk or plate, 5, located above one end of the lamp. The holder itself ex tends over the lamp proper and is attached to the lamp or container 1 by means ofclamps illustrated at 6, 6. For protecting the end of the lamp which contains the negative electrode, I may employ a shield, 7, se-

cured to the plate 5'by any suitable means.

To the under side of the plate 5 I secure insulated cleats, 8 and 9, which constitute themeans of connection for the lamp with the outside circuit. The cleat 8 is connected with an insulated wire, 10, which passes through the tube 4 and is connected at its remote end with the positive electrode 2,

' while the cleat 9 is connected by a wire, 11,

with the negative electrode 3. The branch wire, 12, extends from the cleat 8 to the usual starting band, 13, in the neighborhood of the negative electrode. Above the holder proper are eyed-14, 14,- connected with the holder and adapted to engage upon hooks, 15, 15, depending from the ceiling or other suitable support.

. The foregoing described well-known means for mounting mercury vapor lamps is shown in Fig. 1. I add to the apparatus described a chain, 16, which is connected to the disk or plate 5 at its upper end, and is provided at its lower end with a ring, 17,

or the like, by means of which the chain can be pulled down to give a slight shake to tne lam holder and consequently to the lamp'itsel For the'chain 16 and the ring 17 any. suitable mechanical device adapted "for the same purpose may be substituted. My invention is illustrated inthe accom In case the lamp is supported from the s de Wall instead of from the ceiling it may become necessary to provide slightly difierent connections for the cord or chain and it may also be convenient to employ one or more pulleys over whichlthe said cord or chain might run. The operation is obvious; Just beioreapplying high potential for starting the lamp or during the application of said current, the operator will pull down. on the ring 17 and thereby causea Slightshaking, to be given to the lamp through the medium older 4. 'l his s suficlent to put the of its lamp in condition for starting in the usual Referring to Fig. 2 it will be understood that the apparatus generally is the same as that already described. For shaking the holder and the lamp, however, I employ in this instance an electrdmagnet, 18, included.

in a shunt circuit across the terminals of the source, 19. The shunt circuit includes a switch, 20, and a resistance, 21.- lnstead of operatingthe shakingdevice's mechanically, as in t' apparatus illustrated in lt ig. 1, the opera't 1 the magnetdraws up one end of the holder and accomplishes the same result- For this purpose ll inayfltorni on or attach to they dislr or plate '5 an armature 22, adapted to cooperate with the eoreot the magnet 18.

The descrihed means or their equivalent may be applied not only to a lamp or other vapor electric device which has become, so to speak, refractory through continued use, but alsojto a similar apparatus which is refractory frors any other cause, as for example, toy reason of some quality inherent in its original construction;

Mll'ClOSB the switch 20, whereupon.

apparatus, comprising an exhausted container, one portion of which isa straight tube, suitable electrodes in said; container, one of which is a vaporizable reconstructing liquid, of means for oscillating said container on an axis parallel to the axis of said tube and located thereabove, together with electrical connections for operating said apparatus.

3. The combination with a mercury Vapor apparatus, comprising an exhausted container, one portion of which is a straight I tube, suitable electrodes in saidcontainer,

one of which is a 'vaporizable reconstructing liquid, of automatic means for oscillating said container on an axis parallel to the axis of said tube and located thereabove, together with electrical connections for operating said apparatus.

4.. The combination with a vapor electric apparatus comprising an exhausted con tainer, one portion of which consists of a straight tube and suitable electrodes therein, one of which is a liquid cathode, of a starting band located outside said container and adjacent said cathode, together with means for rotating said apparatus on an axis parallel to said tube.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 24th day of @ctober, A. D. 1903.

MAX VON RECKLINGHAUSEN.

Witnesses:

- WM. H. CAPnL,

Gnonon H. STOCKBRIDGE. 

